Thursday, September 06, 2007

You Hairy Beast


"Please, Mommy...Don't do it!!!" is probably what my poor pooch was thinking when he saw me walking towards him with a pair of grooming scissors in hand.

I love my dog. I really do. I've even been told that I baby him too much. He's got a zillion toys and a fluffy bed, an insulated two bedroom dog house with a roof that flips open (that he rarely even sleeps in!), and he gets to go on road trips and regular trips to the beach.

I can't help it. Chance has been my baby for five years. He is my first baby. I remember getting him when he was a tiny little thing. He fit into the palm of my hand and weighed about 4 lbs. He loved taking baths in the bathroom sink. He was the cutest, funniest, sweetest puppy ever. He's been my companion, my buddy, and confidant through many good times and some not so good times.

When I lived in Toronto, Chance used to get groomed twice a year. I'd drop him off at the groomer's and a few hours and nearly $100 later, I'd come back to be greeted by a sheepish looking pooch, all decked out in a red scarf! Too cute!

Now that I live in the country and Chance is no longer a "city dog", he doesn't get the same kind of pampered pet treatment (mainly because I still haven't found a groomer yet). Much to Chance's dismay, it's up to Mommy to brush his coat, get rid of his undercoat, clip his nails, bathe him and trim his hair.

This dog is hairy. No matter what lengths I go to in order to keep him presentable, he still always manages to come out looking matted, shaggy and just plain messy! Poor thing. Ask Curiosity Killer! When she was visiting us on the island, she even helped me cut some burrs off of the shaggy dog's hair! He always has burrs in his coat!

This is what Chance looked before I got scissors-happy:


...and this is what he looked like after. Gosh! Poor doggy! I am sooooooooo sorry!!!Yes, I realize I still have to trim the hair on his leg, get a few more burrs off his tail, and maybe trim the little wings near his ears. Now I know how my younger brothers felt every time they saw my mom walk towards them with her scissors and razor kit. Hey, at least Chance won't complain to his friends about having a bowl cut!!!

26 comments:

Uncivil said...

Oh, the humanity.....poor fellow....you butchered him!!LOL

Hey Chrissy, now that you have his coat ultra short, you need to buy a "Furminator". Google it, then go to Ebay and get him one.
I just bought my first one this summer for Abigail, and it's the best deshedding tool for removing the undercoat that I've ever used.

Professional groomers use them.

Hugs!!!!

Unknown said...

Uncivil:
ohhhh, I know. It is horrible...but he still loves me! LOL!

A "Furminator"! Hmmm...that sounds interesting! I'm going to Google it right now. You aren't sending me to some weird website, are you? LOL! ;) TTYL!

Unknown said...

Uncivil:
Just checked it out! Thanks! Think it will work even on my super duper hairy Chance?

louann said...

Oh dear, look at all the hair loss! Don't make him look in the mirror! LOL

Cherry said...

My friends with dogs swear by the Furminator.

We considered getting one for our boys, but it was $30 and we just couldn't justify it for indoor cats. If we were dealing with mats and burrs, I'd say totally worth it.

My mom used to take her cats to the groomers to get all of the mats taken off, and they'd basically come home with a buzz cut, except for a poof at their tail, and their heads and feet. They called it the lion cut. Hilarious! but no mats!

Anonymous said...

Hah hah hah! Chrissy, that is absolutely dreadful! That poor dog! I gather you never went to doggy grooming school? Yes, I am giving you a hard time. He doesn't look that bad. It will grow back. Poor sod! :0)

-Pete

Anonymous said...

BWAHAHAHAHHAHAHA! You had me cracking up at the bowl cut thing! Chance's haircut is funny too, but the bowl cut, that's classic! Thanks for the laughs C.

Heidi said...

That's too funny, Chrissy!! LOL I guess my little chopping assistance wasn't enough. You had to take it all off!!! LOL How long did it take you to do that? He must have been moving about so much!

Heidi said...

btw, when I still had my dog (r.i.p.), I would take him to groomers as well... they would use $300 razors and cutters on his double-layer super thick fur. It was some expensive tool. I'd rather let someone do the job.

Unknown said...

Louann:
LOL! Chance actually had this really pitiful look on his face when I was done cutting his hair. He didn't look too happy! Poor thing!

Cherry:
LOL! I had no idea people took cats to groomers too! :) I don't know why it never occurred to me. I guess it makes sense, especially if you have a long-haired cat!
I'm going to look into that Furminator thing. I'm intrigued.

Unknown said...

Pete:
How did you know I never went to doggy grooming school? Is it any wonder why Hubby is reluctant to let me give him a haircut? LOL! ;)

T:
To be honest, I was a bit shocked when I saw the finished product. Chance looks so skinny now! What scrawny legs he's got!

Unknown said...

Curiosity:
HAHAHA! Actually, you did a GREAT job! After you left, Chance went into the bush and got covered with more burrs! I tried to snip them off, but kept going and going...and before I knew it, he was naked!!!

I was snipping his coat for over an hour! Crazy! He didn't even move. He just stood there. He probably knew that it would be futile to resist, so he just let me do my thing.

Yeah, a professional would be ideal. A friend recommended two groomers on the island. I may just check them out next time! LOL!

I honestly didn't intend on cutting his coat all the way down like that. Urgh.

Karen MEG said...

Chrissy, OMG - poor Chance - he looks so EXPOSED!!! Remind me not to get near you when I need a haircut LOL!
I've only subjected little G to the odd bang-trim, as I know if I cut it too short she will still look adorable :) (something about toddler girls and super short bangs is irresistable). But she's loving the salon treatment these days ... as will Chance, I suspect!

Unknown said...

Karen:
Ohhhh...Karen! I feel so terrible about Chance's haircut! LOL! Remind me when Hubby and I have kids, not to let me cut their hair! After this terrible display, I VOW to never ever cut my children's hair! LOL!

PS. You're so right. Even if Little G had super short bangs, she'd still be irresistably cute!!!

Anonymous said...

YOu are too funny, Christine! Poor Chance. He still looks incredibly adorable though!! At least dogs aren't vain!

Jane, P&B Girls

merinz said...

Ohh Chrissy, poor Chance. Please don't be offended but I don't think that dog grooming should ever be your second career!

Unknown said...

Jane:
Thank you. You are so sweet. You know, I just felt sooooooooo horribly for Chance. At least he doesn't have any hot dates or anything that he needs to look all spiffed up for!

Even with a horrible haircut (and a horrible mommy!) he's still cute :)

mrinz:
LOL! I'm in TOTAL agreement with you here! I don't think I can ever hold a pair of grooming scissors ever again!

BeachMama said...

Oh my word, he does look so cute, but do you have to clip his hair? Isn't he going to get cold going into fall? Just curious :)

Unknown said...

Beachmama:
LOL! I know :( I actually thought of that after I cut his hair. I should have cut it earlier in the summer...not in the fall! Hubby said he thinks Chance will be okay and that his hair will grow back in time. Let's hope so!

Congrats on the arrival of Baby Girl! How exciting for all of you! Little J looks like such an awesome big brother! :) xo

Uncivil said...

Hey, if it gets cold outside, Chance can always snuggle up in the bed between you and Hubby!!!!!!

Danielle said...

He's practically naked. I loved him with all his hair..Just think it wil grow again and you may have to go through this all over again. It was probably more upsetting for you than him..until he saw the final product...lol

He is probably thanking you due to the heat.

merinz said...

Chrissy - hope you don't mind, I have finally figured out how to add a link and have added you to my Link list.

Unknown said...

Uncivil:
I tried that before! LOL! Hubby doesn't even want any of the animals to be in the house! LOL!

Danielle:
Thanks! LOL! He actually looks lighter and younger now without his thick coat. I thought he was cute when he was all shaggy, but he always looked so unruly! It's amazing that his coat has grown in a bit and is evening out already and it's only been 2 days!

I'm so happy to see you blogging again! :) Can't wait to hear updates on Baby #2! :)

mrinz:
Thank you! I'm honoured! :)

kim said...

My god, C, what did you do to Chance? Better yet, what did he do to you to deserve such treatment?! ;-)

Your brothers all look alike in the picture. That pic reminded me of my sisters and me in our annual photographing session when we were kids... we all had the same "bowl" haircut - and even worse, we even had the same dresses on. Up to this day, I can't tell which is me in that darned picture (and neither can my mom).

Unknown said...

Kim:
Hey! So happy to see you back! LOL! You are so funny! Chance's coat is already growing back in. Thank goodness! It doesn't look so choppy anymore. He's loving the new 'freedom' of not having all the extra weight to carry around. It was a pretty thick coat! LOL!

The pic...My two brothers aren't in the pic. My youngest brother wasn't born yet, and I have no idea where my middle brother was taht day. In the pic, you'll see two of my many cousins and the other guys are childhood friends. Mind you, they were all like brothers to me.

Do you and your sisters still do the annual photo session? That would be neat!

Unknown said...

Kim:
It would be neat, except now that you're older, you probably don't all have matching dresses and haircuts! Right? ;)

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City girl moves to the country, falls in love, and marries a farmer. She tries to incorporate her city ways with her new country lifestyle and blogs to keep in touch with friends, family & students who live far, far away :) Can this city girl go country? Watch as she learns all sorts of exciting things about life on the farm and in a small rural community. *UPDATE* We are now parents! Our baby girl was born on Nov. 11, 2008 (at 28 weeks gestation- 12 weeks premature, but she's quite the trooper)!!!
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